


Hello, I Love You

by QueenPlatypus



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Co-workers, F/M, Heartbeats, Kissing, Love Confessions, Morning After, Naked Cuddling, Overthinking, Phone Calls & Telephones, Sleep Deprivation, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27463702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenPlatypus/pseuds/QueenPlatypus
Summary: Hailey needs to get home, but first, she confesses, which leaves Ethan deep in thought and unable to sleep.Set during ch. 20 because we were ROBBED of a love confession.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 24





	Hello, I Love You

Hailey couldn’t help but giggle as her head was laying against his. Her arm was laying lazily on his chest, her leg covering his. Both of them were on the carpet of his living room, the table moved away to make space for their warm naked bodies. Ethan was still holding her tight, his heart fluttering upon hearing this sound coming out of her.

“He really did that?” She asked, looking up at him.

“He did. I couldn’t believe my eyes!”

“And what did you do?”

Ethan shrugs.

“I thought it would be better to let him learn from his own mistakes.”

“Oh my goodness, you’re awful!” She says, laughing harder.

Her whole body trembles against his as she buries her face in the crook of his neck. Ethan shakes his head, holding her tight. Eventually, she stops laughing and, with one last peck, she untangles herself from him. The sudden loss of her body’s heat makes him shiver as he sits up.

“Where are you going?” He asks, a complaint in his voice.

“Home. It _is_ late and we _do_ have to get at Edenbrook early, tomorrow morning.” She answers as she slips her panties back on.

“Well… You could spend the night here. We’ll just need to leave early so I can drive you back to your apartment if there are some things you need to pick up.”

“As much as this offer is tempting… I’ll have to pass. After all that’s happened, I really need my sleep hours. And with you so close, I’m not sure I’ll be able to get them.”

He snorts, shaking his head, but gets up as well to put back his boxers. He heads quickly in his room to put on some pajama pants before getting back to her. He watches her, leaning against the wall, as she makes sure her dress is correctly put, as she quickly fixes her hair and as she wipes out the smeared lipstick. Finally, she puts her heels back on her feet, instantly getting a little bit taller. With a smile, she turns to him before joining him, taking his hand in hers.

“I really had a good time, tonight… I always do, with you.”

“So do I. Do you want me to call you a car?”

“No need, I’ve done it already. According to the app, it’s supposed to be on the curb in… two minutes. Walk me out?”

He takes a quick glance at his back. Even if he can see the red scratches she left, he shrugs: if his neighbors can be aware of how lucky he is to have her, he doesn’t mind. To answer her question, he nods, making her grin before she starts heading out of his apartment. As they get in the elevator, they both keep on stealing glances at each other, making both of them blush. Ethan squeezes her hand, making sure she knows he’s here. She looks up to him, a smile tugging at her lips as she squeezes back, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Finally, the doors open up and they walk out of the elevator. As they reach out the front door, they look outside to see if the car is in sight. Because it isn’t, Ethan swirls her to make her face him, placing his hands on her waist before leaning in, kissing her slowly, pouring all of his affection for her into it. Hailey growls into the kiss, but she slips her hands up in his hair, tangling her fingers into it, appreciating the moment. When they part, she presses her forehead against his, making their noses touch.

“I love you.” She whispers.

It might have been said lowly, but he still heard it. Slightly taken aback, he cocks his head back to look at her better. She opens her eyes, looking at him with a shy smile and her cheeks turning pink.

“I’m sorry. It’s just… I thought you should know.”

“Do you… do you mean it?”

“Of course. I don’t say that to everybody. I love you, Ethan.”

He wants to say something, but even with his mouth open, nothing comes out of it. With this silence, Hailey turns her head to watch outside to finally see the car she called stopping right in front.

“That’s my ride. Listen… You don’t have to say anything for now. It’s like I’ve just said, I just wanted you to know. So… Don’t beat yourself up about it, alright?”

She kisses his cheek before stepping back, her hand on the door, ready to push it.

“Have a good night, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Y-you too.”

She smiles before turning away, pushing the door and stepping out. Without a single glance in his way, she gets into the car. Ethan stays a little more, watching the vehicle roll away, out of sight. Only then he realizes his hands are shaking and his heart is beating fast. He takes a shuddering breath before heading for the elevator, quickly followed by his apartment.

_She loves me. Hailey loves me._

He closes and locks his door before leaning against it, trying to calm his breathing and the frantic beating of his heart. Her words keep spinning inside his mind as he overthinks them.

_She loves me and she means it._

He gasps, but heads to the bathroom, where he stands before the sink. Gripping it with his two hands, he breathes, eyes shut closed as he tries to process what just happened. Let’s see…

The hospital was reopening, having been bought by Leland Bloom. They went to a formal ceremony where he asked her to dance. He kissed her in front of their colleagues for the second time ever and not a single damn to give about the other doctors watching them. Then they came back to his apartment where he was able to let go of his restraints and get lost in her all over the place. Against his windows, against the kitchen counter, on the table, on the floor… The place as such didn’t matter much, all that did was her. Her scent, her taste, her petal-soft skin, her nails scratching his back, the silkiness of her golden hair, the getaway green of her eyes, all the pleased sounds she was making… Simply her.

Calming down, he splashes some water on his face, finally settling down. He feels himself touch the ground again even though he never left it. Turning around from the mirror, he dries his face before looking back, taking a better look at the scratches she previously left. They were just now starting to sting a little, but in a pleasant way. He could see her wrapped around him, dragging her hands along his back to make them, to make him know how good he was making her feel.

To let him know how much she loved him, in a way.

Thinking back about this, Ethan felt his heart pick up in speed once more. For some reason, acknowledging the fact that she was in love with him made him feel… Tingly? Warm? Just what the _hell_ was happening to him?

Shaking his head, he decided to go to bed. Maybe a good night of sleep will help him sort out all those newfound thoughts and questions? Turning off the lights, he slipped under his sheets, turning on one side and closing his eyes, trying to fall asleep.

***

A few hours passed and even if there was no sound whatsoever, he could clearly hear his own heart thumping in his chest.

_Ba-tum. Ba-tum. Ba-tum._

Groaning, he tossed and turned again, trying to cover his ears to isolate the sound. Unfortunately, it was no use. He could still hear it just fine, as much as he could also see Hailey smiling at him.

“I love you, Ethan.”

He shudders, thinking about these words. He doesn’t understand why they got him so worked up. After all, he heard them before. His family said them, two of his previous girlfriends did too. So… Why couldn’t he stop thinking about them coming out of her mouth? Also… why was he sweating that much?

Not able to hold it anymore, he throws his blanket aside and gets out of his bed, heading straight for the kitchen where he pours himself a glass of water. Then another, and another, trying to cool himself out.

Putting his glass down, he grips the counter, his knuckles turning white even if he couldn’t see him due to the light being closed. Now, he was thinking about her again, because he decided that he couldn’t do anything else until he figured out why he was in this state.

Sitting down, his thoughts go to the resident. He remembers everything about her. When he read her application, when he met her, when they worked together, when they…

He knew she was something else. He knew it from the start. From the first ‘hello’ she threw in his way. She was extremely brilliant: this fact alone made her really attractive in his eyes. She was also kind, patient, optimistic, grounded… She was a hard-worker, doing everything she could to reach her goals, even going out of her ways to do so.

And when there was only the two of them… She would stand by him. She would listen to his worries, she would scold him when needed… In fact, she was the first intern to ever stand up to him, now that he thought about it. She never was afraid to speak her mind, even though she had to raise her voice to be heard. With him, she was being unapologetically herself, always. He actually loves that about her.

His eyes widened.

_Wait._

He replayed the own thought he just had inside his mind. Thinking about what he loved about her. But… That was the thing: he used the world _loves_. Present tense. Could that be it?

Now that he was thinking about it, Ethan realizes that he never really took the time to put a label on his feelings whenever it comes to her. After all, they kept changing so fast ever since he met her. Going from intrigue to annoyance, to comfort, to amusement, to… love.

_Yes_ , to love.

He smirks before chuckling to himself. Of course, it made so much sense. Not only was he always able to feel her coming from a mile away… There was always this… need. The need to always be near her, the need to make sure she was safe and alright, the need to keep her smiling at him, to keep her looking at him with this hopeful glimmer in her eyes. The need to keep her happy, to be there for her. To do whatever she wanted…

Of course, he loves her. He had for a long time, now. How come it took him so long to finally come to terms with it? Even when she was at the verge of death, he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. She deserved better. Who knows for how long she had been feeling this way, lingering for him in uncertainty?

An urging feeling made his way through him and he shot up, heading back to his bedroom to grab his phone, instantly calling her. A few rings later, she picked up.

“Hello?” She asked, in a sleepy voice.

“I love you.”

She didn’t answer, but he could hear her shuffle in her sheets.

“Huh?” She asked, confused.

“I love you too, Hailey.”

Another pause, followed by a long yawn.

“Ethan… It’s 3 AM. Couldn’t you wait a few more hours?” She whined.

He rolled his eyes. Of course, only her would have the ability to complain about a love declaration. Not that he minded: he loves that about her. Just like he loves everything else about her.

“My apologies if I woke you up. But… Just like you said, I just wanted you to know. Because you deserve to know.”

She didn’t answer for a few moments.

“Ethan, did you really beat yourself up about it? I told you not to!”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

“Were you able to at least sleep for a little while?”

“I tried but… No.”

She sighs and it’s almost as if he could see her hand slide across her face.

“Okay… Go to sleep, then. We’ll talk about this later. I’m too tired to even process what just happened. You already know how I feel about you, so it shouldn’t be too hard to wait, yes?”

“It shouldn’t. I’ll see you later.”

He hangs up, getting back in his bed to sleep the two hours he has left.

***

When he parks his car in his usual spot, he can already see her. She’s sitting on a bench, her fists balled up on her thighs. He knows she’s waiting for him to join her. Even though she is not looking in his way, he knows she saw him enter the parking lot. So Ethan gets out of his car, grabs his stuff and heads towards the building, the car’s doors locking in the meantime. When he’s close enough, she gets up, walking up to him. She stops at a little distance, looking right into his eyes.

“Hello.”

“Hello, I love you.”

Her brows shot up, surprise finding a way onto her features.

“So… This was not a dream. It happened. This is happening.”

“If this is a dream… I don’t want to wake up.”

He sighs before continuing.

“Look, I know I’m not the most-forward person when it comes to expressing feelings. Even within myself. Last year, when I started to be attracted to you… I couldn’t even accept it. I kept pushing my feelings away, but you know that already. Just like you know my reasons. But now…”

He reaches for one of her hands. She slips her fingers into his as he drags her closer.

“Now I can’t hide the truth anymore. I think I’ve been in love with you for a while, now. I just… didn’t stop to consider it up until last night, when you told me you loved me. And for that, I’m sorry. You deserved better from me, because you’re not…”

He stops talking when she cuts the distance and kisses him. Forgetting what he was about to say, he loses himself in the kiss, pulling her closer to him and letting his bag hit the ground. He ravishes her lips with his own, not letting go of her, not a care if anyone sees him. They pull apart and she grins.

“I’m glad you finally acknowledge it. And… I’m so happy you feel the same way.”

“I’m happy too.”

Giving him one last peck, she steps back, lowering herself to the ground to hand him his bag.

“Shall we, Doctor Ramsey?”

Smiling, he takes his bag, but takes her hand with his free one.

“We shall, Doctor Fisherman.”

She grins and, together, they head inside the hospital.


End file.
